The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 40 (2/2)
”My dear fellow, I congratulate you”
”I assure you, Watson, without affectation, that the status of my client is a matter of less moment to me than the interest of his case It is just possible, however, that that also ation You have been reading the papers diligently of late, have you not?”
”It looks like it,” said I ruefully, pointing to a huge bundle in the corner ”I have had nothing else to do”
”It is fortunate, for you will perhaps be able to post ony column The latter is always instructive But if you have followed recent events so closely you ?”
”Oh, yes, with the deepest interest”
”That is well The letter which I hold in my hand is from Lord St Simon I will read it to you, and in return you must turn over these papers and let me have whatever bears upon the matter
This is what he says:
”'MY DEAR MR SHERLOCK HOLMES:--Lord Backwater tells ment and discretion I have determined, therefore, to call upon you and to consult you in reference to the very painful event which has occurred in connection withalready in the matter, but he assures me that he sees no objection to your co-operation, and that he even thinks that it ht be of some assistance I will call at four o'clock in the afternoon, and, should you have any other engagement at that time, I hope that you will postpone it, as this matter is of paramount importance Yours faithfully, ST SIMON'
”It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has had the et a ser,” remarked Holmes as he folded up the epistle
”He says four o'clock It is three now He will be here in an hour”
”Then I have just tiet clear upon the subject Turn over those papers and arrange the extracts in their order of tilance as to who our client is” He picked a red-covered volume from a line of books of reference beside thedown and flattening it out upon his knee ”'Lord Robert Walsingham de Vere St Simon, second son of the Duke of Balmoral' Hum! 'Arms: Azure, three caltrops in chief over a fess sable Born in 1846'
He's forty-one years of age, which is e Was Under-Secretary for the colonies in a late administration The Duke, his father, was at one tienet blood by direct descent, and Tudor on the distaff side Ha! Well, there is nothing very instructive in all this I think that Iwhat I want,” said I, ”for the facts are quite recent, and the matter struck me as remarkable I feared to refer them to you, however, as I knew that you had an inquiry on hand and that you disliked the intrusion of other matters”
”Oh, you mean the little problem of the Grosvenor Square furniture van That is quite cleared up now--though, indeed, it was obvious froive me the results of your newspaper selections”
”Here is the first notice which I can find It is in the personal colu Post, and dates, as you see, soed,' it says, 'and will, if rumour is correct, very shortly take place, between Lord Robert St Simon, second son of the Duke of Balhter of Aloysius Doran Esq, of San Francisco, Cal, USA' That is all”
”Terse and to the point,” res towards the fire
”There was a paragraph a this in one of the society papers of the same week Ah, here it is: 'There will soon be a call for protection in the e market, for the present free-trade principle appears to tell heavily against our hoe into the hands of our fair cousins from across the Atlantic An i the last week to the list of the prizes which have been borne away by these char invaders Lord St Siainst the little God's arrows, has now definitely announced his approaching hter of a Californiaface attracted much attention at the Westbury House festivities, is an only child, and it is currently reported that her doill run to considerably over the six figures, with expectancies for the future As it is an open secret that the Duke of Balmoral has been compelled to sell his pictures within the last few years, and as Lord St Simon has no property of his own save the small estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious that the Californian heiress is not the only gainer by an alliance which will enable her to make the easy and common transition fro else?” asked Hol
”Oh, yes; plenty Then there is another note in the Morning Post to say that the e would be an absolutely quiet one, that it would be at St George's, Hanover Square, that only half a dozen intimate friends would be invited, and that the party would return to the furnished house at Lancaster Gate which has been taken by Mr Aloysius Doran Two days later--that is, on Wednesday last--there is a curt announce had taken place, and that the honeymoon would be passed at Lord Backwater's place, near Petersfield Those are all the notices which appeared before the disappearance of the bride”
”Before the what?” asked Hol of the lady”
”When did she vanish, then?”
”At the wedding breakfast”
”Indeed This isthan it promised to be; quite dra a little out of the common”
”They often vanish before the cere the honey quite so prompt as this Pray let me have the details”